


Triptych of Memory

by Iocane



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, mention of child death, soft angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 04:15:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15721776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iocane/pseuds/Iocane
Summary: Three old memories.  Three new ones.Hank and Connor revisit a few places from Hank's past.





	Triptych of Memory

**Author's Note:**

> Endless thank yous to [Skyriazeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyriazeth/pseuds/Skyriazeth) who helped me drag this story kicking and screaming to a better place! <3

_ Cole was five.  "Come on, Daddy!" Hank snagged the bag with the hand his son wasn't trying to pull off in his enthusiasm.  It was a rare day off and he was taking his son on a much promised trip to the pool.  _

_ "I'm coming, hold on," he laughed, shouldering the backpack.  Inside, he found an empty table and chair situated so he could see the kiddy pool and the larger pool. _

_ "PLEATHE DADDY PLEATHE?" Cole wanted to go in the big pool, seeing two of his friends already there.  Hank never had been able to say no, but he did have a few conditions.  _

_ Thankfully, Cole's friends parents were similar minded, so it wasn't long before three boys with multicolored arm floaters were frolicking in the water.  Hank just soaked in the warmth of the day and the sound of his son's laughter and the unbridled joy of youth. _

The pool was drained, and had been for years.  Not long after Cole's death, it had been shut down because of some political bullshit.  Now it was the domain of leaves, taggers, and occasional skateboarders.

"Connor, you're gonna break something!" He yelled, one hand cupped to his mouth.  He leaned his hip against the jut of concrete that at one time held a diving board.

"That's very unlikely, Lieutenant!" the android called from the far side of the pool.

Hank crossed his arms, trying to ignore the painful memories of his last trip here.  As he watched, Connor adjusted his stance, and was soon sliding down the gentle slope at the far end of the pool.  What had possessed him to want to take up  **skateboarding** of all hare brained ideas?

Of course, Hank did know why.  Some-fucking-how, Connor had found pictures of Hank at fourteen.  Long hair flying, jeans just about coming off at the knee and holding onto a skateboard mid-jump.  Said it looked like an interesting physical activity, combining speed and dexterity, making it a worthwhile pursuit.

It had taken about five minutes for Connor to master the board on flat surfaces.  The kinds of places Hank had skated in his youth were long gone, so they were left with an old pool.

By the time the afternoon was over, Connor could make it all the way back to the top of the curve.  

Hank was smiling as he watched.

+++++

_ Cole's fourth birthday.  They'd been to the park before - it was only a few blocks from the house.  But today was special; Cole was turning THIS many! All the while proudly brandishing spread fingers and a folded in thumb to anyone who asked.   And to many who didn't. _

_ "Come here, kiddo." Hank leaned down and Cole climbed onto his back. _

_ From the car to the picnic area was a bit of a walk, but Hank had wanted to take the car instead of walking, so he didn't have to carry Cole's present the entire four blocks.  He supposed he could have made it easier on himself by not giving his son a piggyback ride, but that wasn't something Hank would even consider. _

_ Once at the picnic area, Hank let the monkey climb down and set the picnic basket on the table. _

_ "Now, birthday boys get birthday presents.  Ready for yours?" _

_ Brown hair flopped around as the boy nodded eagerly.  If Cole noticed the package (with carefully concealed air holes) was making noise, he didn't say anything.  And his squeal of delight when the present hopped out and licked his face made Hank's chest clench. _

_ "Can I name him Sumo?!" _

"Sumo!" Connor's laugh carried over the autumn wind as Hank sat on the bench. The dog - very much grown since the first time he'd been here, was attempting to knock Connor over in pursuit of something no doubt gross that the android had taken from his mouth.  Connor was hopping around, trying to hold the thing up over his head.

They'd wound up here, needing to clear their heads after after a fairly intense and revealing discussion.  Hank rested an arm on the picnic table and just watched, smiling as he realized the fundamental shift his life had taken.  This afternoon was the culmination of months of dancing around each other and not quite saying what they wanted to. He licked his lips, still tasting Connor's mouth on his.

"Hank! Will you tell your dog not to eat the dead squirrel?" Connor called, his voice a mix of laughter and alarm.

"He's your dog, too, Connor!" Hank stood to approach them, still smiling. "That was part of the deal, remember?"

+++++

_ "How did you get chocolate ice cream behind your EAR, young man?" Hank asked, dipping a paper towel in a glass of water on the table and wiping the six year old's ear and neck. He'd been giving his son a quick hand-and-face check after he'd gone to the bathroom.  _

_ "Talent!" came the cheeky answer as Cole scrambled back up onto his side of the booth.  _

_ "So, have you decided what you wanna do for Halloween?" Hank watched Cole dig into his sundae once again. _

_ "A vet! I wanna be one for real but Halloween is good prac'tiss!" _

_ "I guess so," Hank chuckled.  "We'll look for what you need this weekend, Halloween's three weeks away and we wanna make sure it's the best vet you can be! Do you wanna take Sumo? So people know you're a vet and not a regular doctor?" _

_ "Uh-huh!" Hank spent the next hour listening to his son talk about their dog, and his plans for his future. _

"Connor, I-" Hank felt his throat close as he tried to speak, emotions overwhelming him.

He'd forgotten about that conversation with Cole, days before the accident, until he'd sat down here.  Connor had recently gotten an upgrade and he could eat. Naturally, he'd been working his way through every kind of food there was.  

Today, it was ice cream.  And this place still had the reputation for being the best in Detroit.  Of course he'd been unable to say no when Connor had asked.

Lulled into a false sense of security by Connor's boyish charm, Hank was utterly unprepared for his little bombshell.

"Please, Hank?" Soft brown eyes pleaded gently, cool fingers wrapping around Hank's more weathered hand.  "Say yes."

"I'm supposed to be the one asking you," he finally grumbled, unable to keep from smiling.

"Why? Because you're older than me?" Connor teased with a smile, taking Hank's statement to be an agreement and sliding the ring onto his finger.  

"Basically," he muttered.  He couldn't help but eye the band, though.  No stones, but there was a line of color inset.  It was a softly glowing blue, and now Connor's decision to - after several years - ditch his LED made sense.  Hopefully this time would go a lot better than the first. Since everything else was already so different, he had no reason to think why it wouldn't.

"When have we ever followed the natural world order, sweetheart?" Connor asked, cupping Hank's cheek and leaning in for a vanilla-ice-cream-and-fudge flavored kiss.


End file.
